Practicing Success
Practicing Success
CUET Preparation Today
| Cognitive therapies, such as Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) and Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy, are psychological approaches that focus on understanding and modifying dysfunctional thought patterns to alleviate psychological distress. RET, developed by Albert Ellis, emphasizes identifying and challenging irrational beliefs that contribute to emotional and behavioral problems. For example, a person experiencing excessive anxiety about public speaking may hold the irrational belief that "I must always perform perfectly, or I am a complete failure." Through RET, they would work to replace this belief with a more rational and realistic one, such as "I can make mistakes and still be competent." Similarly, Beck's Cognitive Therapy aims to identify and modify negative automatic thoughts that contribute to depression, anxiety, and other disorders. For instance, a person with depression may have automatic thoughts like "I'm worthless" or "Nothing ever goes right." Through cognitive therapy, they would learn to question and reframe these thoughts, fostering more positive and accurate thinking patterns. |
How does cognitive therapy aim to reduce anxiety and depression? |
By challenging negative automatic thoughts. By using non-directive questioning. By refuting irrational beliefs. By altering dysfunctional schemas. |
By altering dysfunctional schemas. |
Continual recurrence of the negative automatic thoughts contributes to the development of anxiety and depression. To address these cognitive patterns, the therapist employs gentle and non-threatening questioning to dispute the client's beliefs and thoughts. For instance, the therapist might ask, "Why do you believe everyone should love you?" or "How do you define success?" These questions prompt the client to consider alternative perspectives that challenge their negative automatic thoughts. Through this process, the client gains insight into the nature of their dysfunctional schemas and becomes capable of modifying their cognitive structures. The objective of this therapy is to achieve cognitive restructuring, which ultimately leads to a reduction in anxiety and depression. By challenging and altering negative automatic thoughts, the therapist helps the client transform their cognitive patterns and achieve a healthier mental state. |
